Chapter One

Castiel made his way down the street, the rough tarmac bumping against his cane. Warmth from the sun caressed his cheeks and he breathed in the smell of honeysuckle, a light breeze playing through his hair. He walked slowly, enjoying the fresh air, and the mix of smells from cafes and coffee shops. Voices surrounded him, but he didn't pick up on any particular conversation, instead choosing to let the babble wash over him.

A car drove past and Cas twitched. An almost inaudible whisper tickled his ear. When he turned his head to focus on it, it was gone, but a couple of voices caught his ear as he turned.

'I'm telling you, I saw it!' one of them said.

'I'm sure you did, Dean, but we've been walking around here for an hour now, can't we just-'

'Just 'cause you found yours doesn't mean you get to be a bitch about me trying to find mine.' Their voices were coming closer, but before he could move out of the way, one of them said, 'Dean, look out!' but not quick enough to stop him from bowling Cas over.

He tried to angle himself, so as not to break his cane, but instead landed awkwardly on his wrist. He heard a snap, pain lanced up his arm, and he cried out. Holding his wrist close to his chest, he rolled onto his back.

'Oh my God, I'm so sorry,' the man who hit him gasped.

'Way to go, Dean,' the other man said loudly.

'Shut up, Sam,' the man named Dean said. 'Are you all right?'

'No,' Cas hissed through his teeth. 'I think it's broken.' He sat up, trying to get his bearings. His wrist throbbed, but he felt around himself, checking he hadn't lost anything. He gingerly pulled the strap of his cane from his broken wrist and transferred it to the other one.

'Where are my glasses?' he said, sure he'd heard them clatter to the ground.

'Here.' Dean pressed them into his uninjured hand, and he hastily shoved them back onto his face.

'Will you help me up?' He reached out with his good arm, and Dean grabbed his hand.

He had a strong grip and warm hands. His fingers were rough and calloused, and he almost lifted Cas clean off his feet as he pulled him up.

'Let us take you to the hospital,' the man called Sam offered.

'Yeah, it's the least we can do,' said Dean.

Cas hesitated. He would have preferred to go alone, but his wrist was swelling rapidly and becoming more painful. 'All right.' He one-handedly folded up his cane and it tucked it into the large pocket of his coat. He groped for Dean's arm, but accidentally smacked him in the chest. 'Sorry,' he said, embarrassed.

'It's fine.' Dean took Cas's hand and placed it on his arm, which Cas squeezed tightly.

'Keep that elevated,' Sam said.

Cass assumed he meant his wrist, so he held it up to his shoulder.

'Our car is just around the corner,' Dean said, concern clear in his voice. 'It won't be long.'

Cas nodded, focusing on his footsteps, and feeling horribly unsteady without his cane. Neither Sam nor Dean warned him when they stepped down a curb, and only his grip on Dean's arm kept him upright.

They stopped at what Cas assumed was their car, and Dean pulled away slightly to open the door for him.

Cas climbed awkwardly into the back seat, trying not to hit his wrist on anything, and settled on the comfortable leather seats.

'You okay back there?' Dean asked as he got in the driver's seat.

'Yes, thank you.'

The car roared to life, and Dean revved it a few times before pulling out of their parking space.

Cas thought he heard Sam tut, but it was hard to discern over the sound of the engine.

'So, uh, introductions, I guess,' Sam said. 'I'm Sam, and this is my brother, Dean.'

'I'm Castiel,' said Cas, hissing as they went over a speedbump.

Dean snorted. 'What kind of a name is Castiel?'

'My friends call me Cas.'

'Cas it is, then.'

'You broke my wrist, I don't think you quite qualify as a friend yet.'

Sam sniggered.

'What were you doing when you stopped paying attention to your surroundings?' Cas asked.

Dean didn't respond and Sam laughed again.

'He thought he saw his Heart String,' Sam told Cas.

'Sam!'

'Oh.'

'I did see it,' Dean insisted.

'Sure you did.'

Cas sighed and listened to them bicker. He'd lost interest in his own Heart String a long time ago.

Dean helped Cas back out of the car once they reached the hospital, and escorted him inside.

'You can go now,' Cas said, pulling his cane back out of his pocket.

'Whoa, I don't think so,' said Dean. 'We're gonna stick around until you're all fixed and take you home, right, Sam?'

Sam groaned.

'You got somewhere else to be?'

'No,' Sam sighed.

'It's really not necessary,' Cas said.

'I insist.'

This time, Dean let Cas walk himself, but guided him to the front desk with a hand on his back.

Cas's cane bumped against the desk and he stopped.

'Can I help you?' It was a woman's voice.

'Yes, I believe I have broken my wrist.'

'Fill out these forms and come back.'

Cas heard the clatter of a clipboard on the desk. 'Ma'am?' he said, slightly impatiently.

'Mhm?'

'I'm blind, I can't fill these out.'

'Get your boyfriend to do it.'

'I don't know this man, I met him ten minutes ago.'

'It's all right, I'll do it,' said Dean.

'You don't-'

'It's fine, I got it.'

Dean walked him to the waiting area and sat down next to him.

'All right, full name?'

'Castiel Novak.'

Dean snorted again.

'Laugh at my name one more time, and I'll get that very nice receptionist to fill in these forms for me.'

'Okay, okay, address?'

Cas recited his address and phone number for Dean to write down.

'Visual impairment, totally blind?'

'Totally blind,' Cas confirmed.

'That's gotta be tough,' said Dean. 'And she didn't sound like she was helping.'

'I get that a lot.'

'Really?'

'Yes. The form, Dean?'

'Right. You've got your cane… Emergency contact?'

'My brother Gabriel.'

Dean wrote down his details too. 'Are you currently pregnant?'

Cas smiled despite the pain in his arm. 'It's possible, I am a little late this month.'

Dean laughed. 'Anything else? Allergies? Meds?'

'No.'

'Great, I'll take this up for you.'

Dean's seat creaked as he got to his feet.

'Sam, are you still here?' Cas asked.

'Unfortunately,' Sam grumbled, from what sounded like the other side of Dean's seat.

'The doctor won't be long,' Dean said, sitting back down between them. 'So, what were you doing around town?'

Sam sighed and the seats moved slightly as he got up. 'You guys want coffee? I'm getting coffee.'

'Is he okay?' Cas asked as he left.

'He's fine, just ignore him. I do.'

'If you say so.'

Dean shifted in his seat, and Cas felt him move a little closer.

'I like to walk around town,' Cas said. 'It smells like honeysuckle in that area.'

'Honeysuckle? That's a flower?'

'Yes, Dean, it's a flower.'

'Can't say I've ever noticed it before.'

'You don't seem like a noticing flowers kind of person.'

'Maybe I will from now on.'

Cas smiled again. 'Sam said you saw your Heart String?'

'I might have,' Dean told him. 'It was only for a second, so I could have been wrong.'

'What's it like?' Cas asked curiously.

'It's hard to describe,' Dean admitted. 'It's like it's there, but it isn't.'

'Have you seen it before?'

'A few times. Why don't you ask your brother about this?'

Cas shrugged. 'He doesn't like to talk about it. He says it's an ugly colour.'

'Oh?'

'He says it's yellow.'

Dean laughed. 'Yeah, that's ugly.'

'I wouldn't know. Is yours nice?'

'It's not yellow.'

A voice called from across the room. 'Castiel Novak?'

Cas got to his feet, wincing as his wrist throbbed.

'This way,' Dean said, gently pushing his elbow around until he was facing the right direction.

Cas had his x-rays done, and his wrist wrapped in a cast and a sling. He had also been given some painkillers, and felt a lot better.

'Ouch, how long is that gonna be on?' Sam asked as they came back out into the waiting area.

'Six weeks,' Cas told him.

'Will you be all right?'

'Yes, luckily I'm ambidextrous.'

'What?' said Dean.

'It means I can - handle things with both hands,' Cas said.

'I bet you can.'

'Ugh,' Sam groaned. 'Can we go now?'

'All right, keep your hair on, we're going.'

Cas took Dean's arm again, and the pain had calmed down enough for Cas to be able to appreciate the firm muscles beneath his jacket.

'You like that?' Dean said, a cocky tone filling his voice.

'It's not bad.'

'You should feel the rest of 'em.'

'Oh my God,' Sam complained.

'Are you always like this?' Cas asked Dean.

'Nah.'

'Yes,' said Sam.

'Don't listen to him, he's cranky.'

Dean helped Cas back into the car, and Cas caught a faint smell of cinnamon. Dean's hand briefly brushed Cas's thigh, and Cas pretended not to notice.

'My place isn't far from where you hit me.'

'I am sorry about that, you know. Maybe I can make it up to you sometime?'

Sam groaned again and Dean laughed.

'Maybe you should watch where you're going next time,' Cas teased.

'Only if you do.'

'I can certainly try,' Cas said, smiling widely.

Cas had a small apartment on the second floor of his building. He was confident with the layout of the building, but let Sam and Dean accompany him upstairs.

Cas unlocked the door and went inside, hanging his cane up on a hook next to the front door, along with his keys.

'This is your place?' Dean asked, coming in behind him.

'I'd be worried about the security of the building if it was someone else's.'

Dean laughed again, and Cas shivered.

'How come you've got so many books?' Dean asked.

'They're obviously in Braille, Dean,' Sam said, sounding impatient.

'Yes, I read in Braille, but recently I've found myself listening to a lot of audiobooks.'

'You actually have the attention span for that?'

Cas listened to Dean's footsteps as he walked around the apartment.

'I'm not easily distracted,'said Cas.

'You sure about that?'

'Okay, I'm going back to the car,' Sam said. 'Nice to meet you, Castiel. I hope your arm gets better.'

'Yes, nice to meet you too, Sam.'

Sam's long strides echoed down the corridor outside, but Dean remained inside the apartment.

'Usually, I'd do something super smooth, like leave my number on a napkin, or something,' Dean said.

'Usually?' Cas said, moving towards Dean's voice. 'Do you often knock people over and break their wrists?'

'Well, not exactly that.'

Cas reached out for him, and accidentally pressed his hand into Dean's chest, though he wasn't particularly quick to move it. 'You're right, those are nice.'

Dean lightly ran his fingers up and down Cas's good arm. 'Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for you before I go?'

The space between them closed, and the air warmed around them.

Cas felt along Dean's jawline, the stubble grazing his fingertips. He pulled Dean down to his lips.

They were softer than he was expecting, but the feeling of Dean's tongue in his mouth sent thrills through his body. He let himself enjoy it for a few moments, but pulled himself away.

'Your brother is waiting,' Cas said breathlessly.

'So let him wait.'

But Cas pushed him back. 'Come back to me when my arm is healed,' he said, 'then I'll show you what I can grip with both hands.'

'I'm sure you will,' Dean chuckled, moving away.

'Put your number in my phone, so I can call you,' Cas told him, passing over his phone.

Dean gave Cas his phone back. 'It was very nice to meet you, Castiel,' Dean said. 'And I hope I hear from you soon.'

Cas let Dean kiss him once more, before backing him out of the door, locking it behind him. All of a sudden, he realised how hot he was, and went over to the kitchen sink.

'That was very strange,' he murmured to himself, splashing cold water on his neck. 'I wonder…'

He touched his own chest with his good hand, but whether or not his Heart String was there, he couldn't feel it.